B-142753, OCT. 14, 1960
Highlights
THE ACTUAL ELAPSED TRAVEL TIME WAS 13 3/4 DAYS. WARREN WAS PAID 13 1/2 DAYS PER DIEM INSTEAD OF 13 3/4 DAYS PER DIEM. THE STANDARD TIMES OF THE PARTICULAR ZONES ARE FOR APPLICATION WHEN THE ELAPSED TIME EXCEEDS 24 HOURS. WERE USED FOR THE COMPUTATION OF THE ACTUAL ELAPSED TIME SPENT IN TRAVEL IN ORDER TO DETERMINE THE NUMBER OF DAYS OF PER DIEM TO WHICH THE TRAVELER WAS ENTITLED. WE USED THE STANDARD TIME OF THE PARTICULAR TIME ZONES IN WHICH THE TRAVELER WAS TO DETERMINE THE RATE OF PER DIEM IN EFFECT. HE IS ENTITLED TO 13 3/4 DAYS PER DIEM AT $6 A DAY MEASURING FROM MIDNIGHT JUNE 13. WE ARE FORWARDING A COPY OF THIS LETTER TO THE OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES.
B-142753, OCT. 14, 1960
TO MR. JOSEPH LIPPMAN, DIRECTOR, U.S. GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE:
ON AUGUST 19, 1960, MR. WILLIAM V. BOUR, JR., REQUESTED OUR DECISION CONCERNING THE APPLICATION OF B-142753, JUNE 16, 1960, 39 COMP. GEN. 853, TO THE COMPUTATION OF PER DIEM ON A ONE-WAY CROSSING OF THE INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE BY A TRAVELER. THE EMPLOYEE, MR. MARION G. WARREN OF THE FAR EAST BRANCH, TOOK SEA TRANSPORTATION FROM SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, TO TOKYO, JAPAN, INCIDENT TO A CHANGE OF OFFICIAL STATION. HE DEPARTED FROM SAN FRANCISCO AT 11:00 P.M., JUNE 13, 1960, AND ARRIVED IN TOKYO AT 11:00 A.M., JUNE 28. THAT TIME WOULD BE 6:00 P.M., JUNE 27, IN SAN FRANCISCO. THE ACTUAL ELAPSED TRAVEL TIME WAS 13 3/4 DAYS.
THE ADMINISTRATIVE FINANCE SECTION BASED THE COMPUTATION OF THE ELAPSED TIME ON THE FORMULA IN B-142753, JUNE 16, 1960, 39 COMP. GEN. 853, ON THE PORTION COVERING THE CROSSING OF THE INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE, USING TOKYO STANDARD TIME AND THE CALENDAR DAY DATE IN SAN FRANCISCO TO FIX THE TIME PER DIEM CEASED UPON MR. WARREN'S ARRIVAL AT HIS OFFICIAL STATION. AS A RESULT, MR. WARREN WAS PAID 13 1/2 DAYS PER DIEM INSTEAD OF 13 3/4 DAYS PER DIEM.
IN B-142753, JUNE 16, 1960, WE HELD THAT WHILE SECTION 6.6 OF THE STANDARDIZED GOVERNMENT TRAVEL REGULATIONS SPECIFIES THAT ACTUAL ELAPSED TIME RATHER THAN CALENDAR DAYS SHOULD BE USED IN COMPUTING PER DIEM WHEN THE TRAVELER CROSSES THE INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE, THE STANDARD TIMES OF THE PARTICULAR ZONES ARE FOR APPLICATION WHEN THE ELAPSED TIME EXCEEDS 24 HOURS. THE EMPLOYEE INVOLVED THEREIN TRAVELED FROM WASHINGTON, D.C., TO TOKYO ON TEMPORARY DUTY AND THEN RETURNED FROM TOKYO TO WASHINGTON, D.C. STANDARD TIME AND THE CALENDAR DAY DATE IN WASHINGTON, D.C., WERE USED FOR THE COMPUTATION OF THE ACTUAL ELAPSED TIME SPENT IN TRAVEL IN ORDER TO DETERMINE THE NUMBER OF DAYS OF PER DIEM TO WHICH THE TRAVELER WAS ENTITLED. WE USED THE STANDARD TIME OF THE PARTICULAR TIME ZONES IN WHICH THE TRAVELER WAS TO DETERMINE THE RATE OF PER DIEM IN EFFECT--- NOT THE ELAPSED TIME SPENT IN TRAVEL. TO ILLUSTRATE, THE TRAVELER IN B-142753, JUNE 16, 1960, ARRIVED IN TOKYO AT 7:05 A.M., TOKYO STANDARD TIME. HIS RATE OF PER DIEM CHANGED FROM $6 TO $14 AT 12:00 NOON TOKYO STANDARD TIME.
SINCE MR. WARREN'S PER DIEM CEASED UPON HIS ARRIVAL AT TOKYO, HIS OFFICIAL STATION, SAN FRANCISCO STANDARD TIME SHOULD BE USED FOR THE COMPUTATION OF THE ELAPSED TIME SPENT IN TRAVEL. MR. WARREN LEFT SAN FRANCISCO AT 11:00 P.M., JUNE 13, AND ARRIVED IN TOKYO AT 6:00 P.M., SAN FRANCISCO STANDARD TIME, JUNE 27, 1960, THE CALENDAR DAY IN SAN FRANCISCO. THEREFORE, HE IS ENTITLED TO 13 3/4 DAYS PER DIEM AT $6 A DAY MEASURING FROM MIDNIGHT JUNE 13, 1960, WHEN THE SEA RATE COMMENCED.
WE ARE FORWARDING A COPY OF THIS LETTER TO THE OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES.